Wakefield College 01 - Where It May Lead Read Online Free

capsule was filled, as a matter of fact.”
    She frowned, and he guessed she would rather not think about
her beloved college connected to a brutal killing.
    “Yes, we had some discussion when we scheduled this event. I
hope you don’t intend to bring up the subject over the weekend.”
    “Me?” His gaze never left her face. “Why would I? But I think
it’s safe to say there’ll be talk about it, anyway. They’re all going to be
thinking about it, you know. Murder isn’t the kind of thing anyone forgets.”

CHAPTER TWO
    “N O ,” M ADISON ADMITTED . “People like to talk about murder. I’m just trying not to
think about it. You won’t be surprised to know the college discourages
reminders, especially since no arrest was ever made. I gather the assumption was
that a transient committed the crime. Anyone could have wandered in.”
    “Sure, but why would they? To take a sauna?” Troy shook his
head. “I skimmed the original reports when I first came on the job here. There
wasn’t any obvious thread to pull, so I didn’t suggest reopening the case. But
my impression was that the original investigators thought the victim was killed
by another student.”
    “But...that’s...”
    When she didn’t finish, he did it for her. “Impossible? Because
Wakefield students are the cream of the crop?”
    She must have heard the irony in his voice because she flushed.
“I suppose that is what I was thinking. And yes, I know that rich people
sexually abuse their daughters and beat their wives, too. You don’t have to tell
me again. Still...”
    “What could possibly have triggered an assault that brutal? No
idea. Nobody so much as came up with a theory back then.” He frowned. “Dad said
he knew the victim, Mitchell King, but not well. I seem to remember he was some
kind of science major. Bio or chem, maybe?”
    Madison nodded. “My father said he hadn’t had much to do with
Mitchell, even though they were both seniors.”
    “My father’s classmate.”
    “Yes.”
    “Funny that we’re both here, involved in this thing.”
    “Yes. Well, I dreamed up this thing, as you put it.” She smiled at him. “In fact, it makes sense
that I’m here. Quite a few employees of the college are alumni.”
    Smiling at her was no problem. He was pleased that she was
apparently as curious about him as he was about her. “You asking what my excuse
is for ending up back in Frenchman Lake?”
    “I would have put it more tactfully.”
    “I worked for Seattle P.D. Got frustrated with some of the
policies in the department, the attitudes that were too prevalent. I almost quit
without job hunting first, but had an attack of common sense. When I started
looking around, I guess the small-town boy in me emerged. I wanted a town where
I could get to know people.” He shrugged. “I grew up here, you know.”
    “I saw that this was your father’s last address.”
    “Turned out that having connections in Frenchman Lake didn’t
hurt when it came to getting a job. As far as I was concerned, it was time to
come home. I was glad to have a chance to be closer to my parents.” He grimaced.
“Lucky, as it turned out.”
    “For your mother,” Madison said gently.
    “Yeah.” Rather than let himself descend into bleak thoughts of
how little good he’d actually done his mother, he decided it was time to get
back to business. “Have we come to any conclusions here?”
    She studied him carefully and with a perceptiveness that was a
little unnerving, but she clearly chose to go along with his effort to close the
subject. “You haven’t said whether you think our preparations have been
adequate.”
    “How long have you held this job?” he asked.
    “Um.” Her pursed lips suggested she was momentarily
disconcerted. “This is the beginning of my second academic year.”
    Troy nodded. “I imagine you’ve handled a dozen events involving
alumni, then.”
    “Oh, more than that if you include our ‘On the Road’ events. We
hold a dozen